


Lighthearted

by doop_doop



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-22 09:29:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22980601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doop_doop/pseuds/doop_doop
Summary: Raphael stepped towards him and lowered his voice. “It’s been so long since anyone’s picked me up. Years and years. And, you know, even though it was in the middle of a battle, even though I was hurt really bad, it felt… nice, being held like that.”Raphael has a favor to ask of Dimitri.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Raphael Kirsten
Comments: 15
Kudos: 65





	Lighthearted

**Author's Note:**

> This pairing was suggested by an anon I received on my curiouscat. Thanks, anon, and I hope you enjoy this.

Dimitri had a few cuts and bruises, nothing that would even require a healer - but Raphael, lying unconscious on the ground, had clearly seen better days. 

Dimitri didn’t think twice about what he had to do. He just took a second to weigh how best to lift Raphael, then slung him up onto his back and carried him away. He was a more awkward load than Annette or Lysithea might have been, maybe, but he wasn’t _heavy,_ and he barely slowed Dimitri down. 

When he arrived at the medical tent, Dimitri waited only long enough to make sure Manuela was there before rushing off again to search for more wounded allies. Raphael, quite honestly, was no longer on Dimitri’s mind - he could not spare him a single extra thought when there was more work to be done. _He is with Manuela, getting healed,_ Dimitri told himself. _He’ll be fine._

And that was that. Or that _should_ have been that - but, oddly enough, it was not.

The next day, after they’d returned to the monastery, there was a quietness in the air. There had been no casualties, but no one was quite at their full strength yet, and the professor had given them the day off to rest. Dimitri found himself at the training ground; the rhythm of his spear hitting the practice dummy was a familiar, comforting sound. He did not know how much longer this war would last, but he prayed the worst of it was behind them. 

He heard footsteps crunching the gravel and turned sharply, curious. “Hello?”

“Hiya, Dimitri,” Raphael said, approaching slowly. “I figured you might be here.”

Dimitri lowered his spear. “Are you all healed? You were in a bad state when I last saw you.”

“I was, wasn’t I?” Raphael chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. Something about his demeanor seemed unusually understated, much different than his usual. It was disconcerting. “I’m not quite all healed yet. Still got a lot of bruises, and my muscles are hurting pretty bad. Manuela says I gotta take it easy today.”

“I hope you’re not here to train,” Dimitri said. “I would not be able to allow you to do so against her explicit wishes.” 

“Oh, no,” Raphael said quickly. “No, no training for me today.”

 _Then why are you here?_ Dimitri wanted to ask; but he held himself back, knowing Raphael would get to that. He was nothing if not direct. 

“I was pretty out of it, but I still kinda remember what happened,” Raphael said slowly, once he finally did speak. “I thought I was done for. I was just lyin’ there, couldn’t move a muscle. Out of nowhere someone scoops me up, like - like I was a baby! Like I weighed nothing! They slung me on their back and carried me out of there, _ran_ out of there…” He trailed off and shook his head as if in disbelief. “I opened my eyes to see what was happening. Wasn’t even sure if it was real - it felt so much like a dream. And it was you. I asked Manuela, too, just to make sure, and she told me you left me there and ran off to get more people without even taking a breather.”

“Yes,” Dimitri said. “That - yes, that was me. But there’s no need to thank me, Raphael.” 

“I know,” Raphael said, smiling. “That’s one thing I’ve learned about you, after all these years - you don’t like taking credit for the good things you’ve done. So I don’t really know why I’m here. I know thanking you wouldn’t really do much. You don’t even see it as something you need to be thanked for! But…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I just had to let you know it _meant_ something, okay? I don’t want you thinking I’m ungrateful, or that I don’t remember it. It’s a big deal to me, ‘cause no one’s ever done that for me before.”

“No one’s ever saved your life?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Raphael said. “You guys have saved my life loads of times. Healing me, killing enemies that were gonna get me, stuff like that.”

“Then what-”

“Picking me up!” Raphael said. “Just - scooping me up in your arms.”

He was deadly serious, breathing hard like the conversation had gotten him worked up. There wasn’t a hint of a smile on his face. 

Dimitri could only stare blankly back. He felt as if he’d missed the point of the conversation - as if Raphael, as blunt and straightforward as he normally was, had been talking in circles.

“You’re welcome,” Dimitri said slowly, once it was clear Raphael was done speaking. 

Raphael nodded, then turned around and left just as abruptly as he’d come. Once he was out of sight, Dimitri began his training once more. But now he found it difficult to focus; he kept running through that short, confusing conversation as if it was all a puzzle he might put together and understand - but, try as he might, he couldn’t make sense of it at all.

\---

When Raphael was fully healed, he began to seek Dimitri out so that the two of them could train together. This was not wholly unexpected. Dimitri knew Raphael admired his strength; he’d given the other man training tips in the past, so it followed logically that the next step would be for them to actually cross blades (or fists). 

And, whenever they went to the dining hall at the same time, Raphael would sit next to him, too. He’d look down at Dimitri’s plate to see what he was eating, encourage him to finish his portion, and happily take any leftovers there might be. This was fine, too. Raphael wanted to be strong, and a good portion of one’s strength came from one’s diet. 

But Dimitri began to question what was going on when, all of a sudden, the two of them seemed to _always_ be paired together for chores. He began seeing Raphael everywhere he went - just behind him, or off in a corner, or passing the other way, always greeting him with a wave and a grin. Dimitri smiled and always waved back, but the more it happened, the more confused he became. Why was he seeing Raphael everywhere these days? Had he just never noticed how often their paths crossed, or was Raphael seeking him out? - and, if so, why?

It was several weeks later that they had an encounter that could not be explained by coincidence alone. Dimitri had been planning to do some research on battlefield formations; when he entered the library, he found it empty save for Linhardt, who was slumped onto a table in the corner, fast asleep. Dimitri briefly considered waking him and gently guiding him towards bed, but decided against it - Linhardt wasn’t bothering anyone, after all.

Then, from behind him, he heard footsteps. By the weight alone, there were only a handful of people in the monastery they could belong to. 

Dimitri turned, and found himself unsurprised. “Hello, Raphael.”

“Oh, hi, Dimitri!” Grinning, Raphael waved at him. “Nice running into you!” 

Dimitri paused, trying to figure out the best way to broach this potentially sensitive topic. “I feel like I’ve been seeing you quite a lot lately, Raphael.”

“Oh, yeah,” Raphael said, now a little sheepish. “Well, to be totally honest, I keep thinking about stuff. I’ve been hanging around you because I want to figure it all out.”

“Figure what out?”

“I got it, though,” Raphael said, as if he hadn’t heard Dimitri’s question. “I didn’t really get it at first, but I got it now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I keep thinking about that day you saved me… Like you said, I’ve been saved before - I’ve been saved loads of times - but this time, it really stuck in my brain, you know? I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” He laughed, though to Dimitri it seemed a nervous reaction. He didn’t even know Raphael could _be_ nervous, and it felt surreal. “But, like I said, I figured it out. I know why.”

“Why, then?”

Raphael stepped towards him and lowered his voice. “It’s been so long since anyone’s picked me up. Years and years. And, you know, even though it was in the middle of a battle, even though I was hurt really bad, it felt… nice, being held like that.” 

“Oh,” Dimitri said, his eye widening. “That’s… I’m glad.” He held back the urge to say _It was nothing,_ because obviously that wasn’t true, not to Raphael.

“So I wanna ask… Could you do it again?”

For a second, Dimitri was speechless, stunned by how unexpected the request had been. Then he felt himself smiling. Such a small, silly request. How could he say no?

“Of course I can,” he said. “But, uh… perhaps not here.”

“Oh, no, definitely not here!” Raphael was back to his regular volume once again. “I didn’t mean right now. Doesn’t even need to be today! Just… sometime, that’s all, if it’s not a problem for you!”

“There’s no reason why it _can’t_ be right now,” Dimitri said. Raphael was looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and it reminded him of a puppy. “Perhaps the training grounds…”

“I was thinking some place with grass, maybe, just in case…” 

He trailed off, but Dimitri could complete the sentence. “In case I drop you?”

Raphael nodded.

“That’s fine,” Dimitri said. “But I promise you, I won’t.”

\---

It did not feel right to sling Raphael over his shoulder, not when he was awake. That was the way one carried bodies or sacks of potatoes, not friends. So Dimitri stood there for a long moment, staring, rubbing his chin. Then he scooped Raphael up in his arms and held him in front of his body, flush to his chest.

Raphael was only heavy compared to other people Dimitri had lifted; he was not anywhere close to actually being too much weight. He was bulky, sure - Dimitri’s arms had to stretch to keep a good hold on him - but, after a moment’s adjustments, he was secure in Dimitri’s grip.

Raphael let out a breathless, wild laugh, and threw an arm around Dimitri’s shoulders. He had a grin on his face wider than Dimitri had ever seen. “I feel small again - it’s the craziest thing!”

When Raphael spoke, Dimitri felt the rumble of his voice in his own arms and chest. They were close, so close, and it was very nearly too much for Dimitri to handle. When there was a reason for the holding, that was different - there was something else acting as a distraction, some other purpose in mind. But now there was nothing besides this, and Dimitri was forced to focus on it, on _Raphael_ \- feel how warm he was, and soft, and how, this close, he could see the pale gold of his eyes, and the surprisingly long eyelashes that framed them. 

“Where do you want me to go?” Dimitri asked, his voice coming out too loud. He had to go _somewhere._ Staying here with nothing to focus on felt far too intimate. He might start counting the freckles on Raphael’s cheeks next. 

“Oh, I dunno,” Raphael said, and chuckled again, a low sound that Dimitri felt more than heard. “You don’t actually have to go anywhere. It’s nice just how it is.”

“How about the dining hall?”

Raphael thought about this for a few seconds before shaking his head. “I don’t think they’re serving dinner yet, but lunch is already over. It would just make me sad.”

“Then…” Dimitri was almost desperate. “Then I’ll take you back to your room.”

“Alright. Don’t push yourself, Dimitri!”

“I’m not pushing myself.” He wondered if he sounded strained. Perhaps he was, but not for the reason Raphael was assuming. “You’re a fraction of what I’m able to lift like this, don’t worry.”

“Someday,” Raphael said, “I swear, I’m going to be as strong as you.”

Dimitri said nothing, just set off towards the dormitory. Hilda raised her eyebrows as they passed, and out of the corner of his eye Dimitri caught Annette and Mercedes giggling behind their hands, but it didn’t matter, they meant nothing bad by it - and even if they did, Dimitri was far beyond caring what anyone thought of him for something like this. It was harmless and silly, and Raphael was clearly having the time of his life.

No one was nearby when they finally did reach the dormitory. As gently as he could, Dimitri set Raphael down just outside of his door.

Raphael turned to him, a smile on his face. “I really am just like a feather to you, huh.”

“Please don’t see it as bragging, but - yes.”

“Will you do it again sometime?”

“Of course,” Dimitri said. “It is no problem.”

Later, when he was alone, he thought of the feeling of Raphael in his arms, of the shared vibration of Raphael’s laugh in his own chest. He thought of the delight on Raphael’s face, a grin that hadn’t faded once. Dimitri wasn’t sure, but, thinking back, he might have been smiling, too. 

It was  _ less than _ no problem, really: it was something to look forward to. The thought of it made Dimitri feel warmer, as if, even alone in his room at night, he was being touched by the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/doop_doop2)


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